It's time for our June 2022 episode of the Turn The Page podcast!
This month, we hit the road and visited the Northern Young Adult Literary Festival (NYALitFest) in Preston, England for a day of bookish fun! We enjoyed a panel on witchcraft in YA that led to a discussion on female rage, women's rights, and feminism in young adult literature, followed by a panel on diversity and inclusion in YA that demonstrated why young adult novels are so important for readers of all ages. In the panels, we heard from Ciannon Smart, Mary Watson, Finbar Hawkins, Jennifer Lane, Simon James Green, Sita Brahmachari, Cynthia So, and Kate Weston. We also caught up with YA author, Rab Ferguson, who stopped to chat with us about his debut YA novel, Landfill Mountains, a magical YA adventure that highlights the impacts of climate change. Sophie and I also share our thoughts on the panels, talk about the books we bought, and give you our slightly chaotic top tips for attending a book festival! Quick note: This is our very first attempt at recording a podcast "in the field" so we apologise in advance for any sound inconsistencies as we trial new technology and equipment which might not produce our usual recording quality. See below for a full list of the books we mentioned in this episode. Listen Here:
As this is a longer than usual episode, if you're interested in a particular panel/interview, feel free to jump to the timestamps below - although we hope you enjoy the whole episode!
The Craft panel - 00:01:16 The World We Live In panel - 00:55:13 Interview with Rab Ferguson - 01:47:00 Photos from the 2022 NYALitFest:Here's a list of all the books we mentioned in this episode:
The Craft Panel
The World We Live In Panel
Rating: 4.5 Stars! Genre: Contemporary MM Romance/Romantic Comedy Series/Standalone: Signs of Love #6 (Can be read as a standalone) How I got this book: Bought via Kindle Unlimited True love is on the horizon, Sagittarius. It’s a good time to step out of your routine and into the unknown. Jason Lyall wants someone to come home to, someone he can be his most ridiculous self with. Someone who loves him regardless. But no matter how hard he tries, he can never quite make that connection, and now his last girlfriend has moved on—she’s engaged. So when his identical twin begs him to swap lives for a few weeks, Jason can see the appeal. Suddenly he’s living another life in a tiny Australian town, contending with weird, wild, and wonderful things the likes of which he’s never encountered before. Like spiders. Like snakes. Like his new neighbour, Sergeant Owen Stirling, who is all kinds of . . . suspicious. Prepare to be caught in a merry mix-up, Libra. It’s a dance of side-stepping and seduction. TW: Teen pregnancy, adoption, siblings/parent and child separated at birth.
Tropes: Opposites attract, fake identity, twin shenanigans, slow burn, small town. I downloaded this book at around 10:30pm last night on a whim and didn't stop reading until 2am. This book was exactly the injection of fun and shenanigans that I'd been missing. When it comes to writing clueless characters, slow-burn/insta-connection, and ridiculous misunderstandings, Anyta Sunday knocks it out of the park every time, and the Signs of Love series is one of my absolute favourites. In the latest instalment, Sagittarius Saves Libra, we meet Jason, an adopted pianist suffering from a bad case of loneliness. A few years ago he accidentally discovered the identical twin brother he was separated from at birth and the story starts with Jason and Carl deciding to switch lives for three weeks to help Carl escape his ex-boyfriends wedding, and to give Jason the chance to meet his birth family. But Jason doesn't expect the disarming man, Owen, who lives next door, or how difficult it is to pretend to be someone else, especially when Carl's small town starts to feel like home he's always craved. As with all of Anyta's Signs of Love characters, Jason is completely oblivious when it comes to what, or who, is standing right in front of him, which leads to some hilarious innuendo, misunderstandings, and frustration (on Owen's part). And, as always, the romance is sweet, the sex scenes steamy, and the found family element really beautifully done. I might just have to go back and re-read the entire series since this one was too good to put down! Filled with laugh out loud moments, sizzling chemistry, and an oblivious MC, Sagittarius Saves Libra is a fun-filled romantic comedy with a few surprises. |
Never miss a post!
About Kay (She/Her)
Book addict, film mad, music lover, business owner, writer and mum (not necessarily in that order), living in the UK. About Sophie (She/Her)
Sophie loves books (obviously). She has a passion for photography and spotting wildlife, and is interested in anything made with passion and creativity. THIS BLOG IS SPOILER FREE!
Rating system: 5 Stars - AMAZING!! 4.5 Stars - Almost perfect! 4 Stars - I really loved it 3.5 Stars - I liked it alot 3 Stars - I liked it (I don't typically review books that I rate below 3 stars)
Archives
March 2023
Categories
All
Recently Read:
#Bookstagram:Upcoming Blog Tours:
|